Super Koopalings Episode 5: Power Surge
by StarlitDuck
Summary: Ludwig has been having nightmares over the past two months about an event that happened in his past. This has an interesting effect on his powers, as well as his mind. OUTDATED! See Power Surge Redux for updated version.
1. Reoccurring Nightmare

**Author's Note: Okay, here is how it's going to work**

**This story was voted, by you guys, to be the story that appears after "Runaway Reptile." I just want you all to know that those who voted for the other choices don't have to be disappointed. I am going to do all the stories at some point. So, after I write "Power Surge" I'm gonna do "Through Her Eyes," and after that one I am going to do "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow." I have other story ideas that I am going to do after that, and I'll still be updating "One Shot Wonders" and "Wilted" while I work on this story.**

**Anyway, enough talk; let's get to the story!**

Chapter 1 Reoccurring Nightmare

_Cold. It was very cold, freezing in fact. It was also very dark, despite the fact that it was supposed to be the middle of the day. A wind blew across Ludwig's face, stabbing him like a dagger. The blue haired special pulled his blue cloak tighter around his body in a desperate attempt to maintain his internal temperature. He also pulled up the hood in order to keep the biting, ferocious wind out of his face._

_To his relief, the wind died. This gave Ludwig an opportunity to take off his hood and look around. As mentioned, it was eerily dark, but if he squinted Ludwig could make out the outlines of crumbled buildings. Their remains lay on the ground like corpses. Ludwig sniffed the air and got dust caught in his lungs. He coughed and sputtered, fear starting to take over._

_He knew this place. He knew it well._

"_I can't believe you."_

_Ludwig turned around as he felt the frigid fingerprint of a shadow graze his back. He saw that it was Kamek, the Koopa King's advisor, who had spoken. There was a fury on his face that was somehow colder than their surroundings._

"_You are supposed to be a special," Kamek said. "You were blessed with amazing powers, powers that haven't been seen in almost a century and a half. And this is what you choose to do with them?"_

_Ludwig heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, and his mouth hung open in shock. There were a variety of dragon koopas, humans, koopa troopas, and goombas. Two people stepped forward, people who Ludwig knew just as well as their location. He couldn't bring himself to say their names though. The shame had turned his tongue into stone._

"_Why did you do it, Ludwig?" the people asked. "Why?"_

…

With a scream and a bolt upright, Ludwig awoke from the dream. He looked around the room that he and Lemmy shared. He saw his compositions neatly stacked on his nightstand. He saw the toys that were scattered all over the room. He saw Lemmy, still sleeping soundly despite the ruckus that he had made.

Ludwig sighed, pulled his knees up to his face, and hugged his legs. That city...those people.

"Frostwall," Ludwig whispered to the room, which was dark except for the moonlight filtering in through the window. No memory hurt so much to think about. No memory made him feel so...guilty. As a tear streamed down the face of the oldest Koopaling, he heard a knock at the door. He got up and opened it, only to find Iggy on the other side.

"I heard you scream," said the crazed inventor. "Is everything alright?"

Ludwig let out a weary sigh.

"I'm fine," he said. "I just had a bit of a nightmare."

Iggy looked concerned.

"Is this the first night you've had one?" he asked.

"Why would you think that it wasn't?" asked Ludwig.

"Our siblings have come to me and reported the signs of fatigue on your face, almost as if you had just gotten a new scar," Iggy said.

Ludwig stifled back a laugh. In a house that was full of Ludwig and his six siblings, it would be expected that some secrets would be spilled.

"Nothing gets past them," Ludwig said out loud. He let out a small breath. "I suppose there is no harm in telling you. I haven't been able to get decent sleep over the past two months."

"How much sleep did you get last week?"

Ludwig put his hand through his hair.

"I don't know...maybe twelve hours?"

Iggy gawked.

"Over the course of a week?" he asked. "Ludwig, you should have come to me as soon as you started experiencing these problems. Do you know how detrimental sleep deprivation can be to your mental health?"

Ludwig let out an annoyed sigh. While Iggy meant well, he would often lecture people about things like this. Ludwig hoped to avoid that as best he could.

"Yes, I am aware," Ludwig said. "I just…"

"Has your erratic sleep cycle interrupted Lemmy's circadian rhythms?"

Ludwig laughed.

"Are you kidding me? That guy sleeps like a brick," he said. Iggy sighed in relief.

"Oh good," he said. Then he put on a stern expression. "I suggest that you find somebody to talk to about your nightmares. I think perhaps Kamek would be the best choice."

Ludwig stiffened up.

"Kamek?" he asked nervously.

"Yes," Iggy said. "He is much more experienced in the science of oneirology than I am. He also can interpret a dream's meaning better than I ever could. Perhaps he can help you learn why you are experiencing these night terrors?"

Ludwig didn't like the sound of that. He knew exactly why he was having the nightmare. It has been the same nightmare over the past two months, and even when it began the dream wasn't unfamiliar to Ludwig. The memory of what happened to Frostwall has haunted his sleep ever since he was a little kid.

"That won't be necessary," Ludwig said. "I can handle this on my own."

"But…"

"Iggy," Ludwig said. "I'm fine."

Iggy looked at Ludwig with concern and a hint of frustration, but didn't question him any further.

"If you say so," he said. He turned and started heading back to his bedroom. "Make an attempt to get some more sleep, alright?"

Ludwig nodded as he closed the door. He pulled up the covers of his bed, even though he knew it was pointless. He had never been able to successfully go back to sleep after a nightmare.

Especially not this one.


	2. Temporal Halt

Chapter 2 Temporal Halt

The next morning the scenery was typical to what one would expect to see in the Koopa Kingdom. Ash and sulfur from the nearby volcanoes blocked out any light that the sun hoped to deliver to the land. However, Roy, Wendy, Lemmy, and Morton were not affected by the dreary scenery. They were happily chatting away the time when Ludwig entered the dining room with a coffee cup.

If his siblings had thought that Ludwig looked tired before, he looked ten times worse now. There were circles under his eyes that were darker than the unlit side of the moon. His eyelids were sagging like they were carrying the weight of the world, and his hair was a mess.

"Morning Ludwig," said Lemmy cheerfully.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Wendy.

Ludwig groaned as he started the coffee maker.

"I think that means no," Lemmy said to his sister.

Suddenly, Larry burst into the dining room. Unlike Ludwig, he looked wide awake.

"Good morning, everyone!" he said. Then he got a glance of his older brother. "Woah, Ludwig. Your hair, it's…"

Ludwig set down his coffee cup and glared at Larry. Blue flames burned in his hands, and electric bolts were visible in the air and around his body. Out of the four powers that Ludwig had (flight, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and electricity manipulation), his pyrokinesis and electricity manipulation were most powerful when the special was angry.

"What's wrong with it?" Ludwig said through gritted teeth.

Larry hesitated.

"Umm….it's cool!" To really send the point home, Larry gave Ludwig the thumbs up sign. Ludwig glared at him some more, then directed his attention to the coffee maker. Larry sat down at the breakfast table.

"Man," he whispered to the others. "He's a little grouchy this morning."

"Give him a break; he hasn't had his coffee yet," Morton stoically said as he looked up from his book.

Ludwig let out a yawn. At this point, he needed coffee like he needed his night to be nightmare free. As he took a sip of the coffee, he heard Roy give a yelp behind him. He didn't think much of it until he heard Roy speak up.

"Oh, nice going Ludwig," he said. "That is real mature."

Ludwig turned around and looked at Roy in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

Roy took off his sunglasses, allowing Ludwig to see that his eyes were scorching with anger.

"You just zapped me with your powers!"

Now Ludwig felt confused.

"No I didn't." he said.

"Yeah you did!" Roy said. "I felt it right on my head!"

"Yeah, I hate to say it Ludwig," said Wendy, "but I'm afraid Roy's right. I saw an electric bolt zap him."

"Me too," said Larry. Morton nodded in agreement.

Now Ludwig felt even more confused. An electric bolt? But...he didn't generate an electric bolt! And even if he did, he would have needed to have been behind Roy in order to zap him on the head.

"Roy, I swear, I did not zap you," Ludwig said. "I would never do that to any of you guys."

Roy just scoffed.

"Oh, you commit a crime, and now you're going to lie about it?" He picked up his plate. "Sorry, but I'm afraid that's not how it works. You're not getting off scot free just for being a liar."

With that, Roy hurled the plate toward Ludwig like a frisbee. Ludwig put his hands in front of him, fully prepared for the hit.

But...the hit never came.

Ludwig looked up. He saw that the plate was completely still in midair. Ludwig looked at his siblings for some kind of explanation, and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw them. Their faces were frozen in the expressions that they wore twenty seconds ago. Roy looked furious while Wendy, Morton, Larry, and Lemmy looked terrified.

"What the World Eight?" Ludwig said.

He walked over to where Larry sat. Ludwig waved his hand in front of Larry's face, but the youngest Koopaling didn't even blink. He did the same thing with Lemmy, who was just as unresponsive. It was as if the other Koopalings had turned into statues.

"Did I just...stop time?"

As if those words were some kind of trigger, the plate started moving again. It smashed into the wall, and the other Koopalings started to come back around. Larry looked behind him and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Ludwig standing right there.

"Woah," he said. "How did you…?"

"Ludwig, did you just teleport?" asked Wendy.

Morton, Lemmy, and Roy looked at Ludwig, who looked just as baffled as they felt.

"I...I don't know," Ludwig said. "From my perspective, it looked like I had stopped time."

The Koopalings' eyes grew wide. Then Lemmy broke out into a smile.

"Cool!" he said. "You've unlocked a new power!"

Ludwig didn't know how to react. He looked down at his hands.

"Yeah but," he began, "I've had all my powers since birth. How can I have a power without knowing I have it?"

The other Koopalings exchanged looks.

"Wow," said Roy. "That's deep."

Morton rolled his eyes.

"It's not, actually," he said. He then turned to Ludwig. "Ludwig, I think you should talk to Kamek about this."

Ludwig stiffened up again.

"Kamek?"

"Or Iggy, if you don't want to see Kamek," suggested Wendy. "Really, you just need to speak with somebody who can tell you what is going on."

Ludwig thought about it and nodded.

"Alright," he said. "I'll go to Iggy."

The other Koopalings nodded as Ludwig left the room. As he was was walking down the hall, he couldn't help but get to thinking. He didn't hate Kamek, and he wasn't afraid of him. He just didn't trust him. Ludwig and Kamek had a history together. There was a reason why Kamek appeared in Ludwig's reoccurring nightmare.

Ludwig shuddered thinking about this. He realized that going to Iggy really was the wisest choice. Was he as experienced as Kamek? No. After all, Iggy was only fifteen. However, he was extremely smart and knew all about the history of the special koopas. He could help Ludwig with what was happening.

Suddenly, Ludwig spotted a koopa troopa guard in the hallway. He smiled at him.

"Good morning, Nelson," he said. As Ludwig continued walking down the hallway, he heard something crash to the floor. He turned around and saw that Nelson had dropped the crate he was carrying.

"Oh, let me help you with that," Ludwig said. He telekinetically picked up the crate and put it back in Nelson's hands. It wasn't until he had done that that he saw that Nelson looked absolutely horrified.

"Nelson, what's wrong?" Ludwig asked.

Nelson let out a scream and bolted down the hallway. Ludwig looked behind him, expecting to see a boo or something along those lines. However, there was nothing there.

"What exactly is going on today?" Ludwig asked.

That's when Ludwig looked down at his hands. When he did, he let out a frightened gasp. He held up his hand, thinking that it had been a trick of the light. His fright only increased when he saw that it, in fact, was not.

Ludwig's hand had disappeared.

Ludwig looked down at his other hand, and saw that it too seemed to have vanished. He looked down at his body, only to find that it was absent.

"No," Ludwig said. "No, no, no, no, no!"

Ludwig flew as fast as he could toward the nearest mirror. He almost screamed at his reflection. Or lack thereof. The only thing that Ludwig could see in the mirror was his blue cloak.

"I'M INVISIBLE?!" Ludwig screamed.


	3. The Invisible Koopa

Chapter 3 The Invisible Koopa

_This can't be happening. This absolutely can't be happening._

This was what was flowing through Ludwig's mind as he stared into the mirror. How could he possibly be invisible?.

"Okay Ludwig, calm down," Ludwig said to himself. Even as he said it, he could detect the fear in his voice. "This is no big deal. This is probably just some crazy dream and you're probably going to wake up at any moment."

That seemed like the most logical conclusion. After all, with how little sleep he had gotten over the past few days, it was completely possible that he had just fallen back asleep in his bed without realizing it. However, as Ludwig pinched himself on the arm, he realized that he was not dreaming. The fact that he was invisible was as real as the pain of the pinch.

"Okay, so maybe this isn't a dream," Ludwig said out loud. He got to thinking. Did Kamek cast a spell on him? No, that didn't make sense, Kamek would have needed to have been in the general vicinity. So how was this possible?

Did this have anything to do with him stopping time earlier?

Ludwig started pacing back and forth. He knew that he couldn't stay like this, but he had no idea how to fix it. But then he realized that he knew somebody who did.

"Iggy!" he said.

Ludwig began flying toward Iggy's lab. He passed a bunch of koopa troopa servants along the way. Some were too busy to look at Ludwig flying by, which came as a relief to the special. However, there was one who, unfortunately, did look up. When she saw Ludwig's cloak floating past, with seemingly no one occupying it, she screamed.

"Ghost! There's a ghost in the castle!"

The koopa troopa ran away, presumably to tell others about the "ghost." Ludwig, embarrassed, decided to put the hood of his cloak up. Thankfully, this seemed to be all he needed to do, as the koopa troopa servants didn't seem to notice that Ludwig was lacking a face. And if they did, they didn't care.

When Ludwig finally got to Iggy's lab, he kicked the door open with so much force that it fell off its hinges. He flew down the stairs in a panic.

"Iggy, I need your help with something!"

There was no response. Ludwig checked everywhere in the lab, even in the storage area. Iggy was nowhere to be seen.

"Dang it; where is he?"

"Uh, Master Ludwig?"

Ludwig froze at the sound of a koopa troopa servant's voice. He looked around the storage closet for something that could help him, and his eyes fell on a shy guy mask on the floor. Relieved, he put it on and went into view of the servant, being careful to make sure that his body was covered by the cloak.

"Hey, Hikaru," Ludwig said nervously. "What's going on?"

Hikaru looked at Ludwig in confusion.

"Why are you wearing a shy guy mask?"

Ludwig quickly brainstormed to come up with an answer.

"Uhh...I am going to a masquerade ball later; I decided to get dressed early."

Hikaru hesitated before nodding slowly.

"Okay," she said. "I was just thinking that Master Iggy wouldn't want you in his lab while he is absent."

"Yeah, you're right," said Ludwig. "Hey by the way, do you happen to know where Iggy is?"

"Sure I do," said Hikaru. "He's in the throne room talking with Bowser."

The second Ludwig heard that, he zipped past Hikaru and flew out of the lab.

"Oh by the way, did you hear that there is a ghost in the castle?" Hikaru yelled after him.

…

Ludwig flew silently into the throne room. He could easily make out Iggy with his chartreuse mohawk and shell. Just like Hikaru had said, he was standing in front of Bowser while he was on his throne. Iggy was yapping at a thousand words a second, and he had a chart on an easel to really send home his point. Bowser was trying his best to look interested, but Ludwig could see him starting to doze off.

"So anyway, I believe that if we were to test out my hypothesis, and kidnap the princess on Fridays instead of Sundays, I think that could be beneficial to everybody's…

"Iggy?" Ludwig said as he tapped his brother on the shoulder. Iggy groaned as he turned around.

"Ludwig, I'm kind of in the middle of a...hey, is that my shy guy mask?!"

"Yes, it is," Ludwig said. "Look, I really need to talk to you for a second."

Iggy sighed.

"Can it wait? Bowser and I are engaged in…"

A loud snore interrupted Iggy's thoughts. The Koopaling turned and saw that the king was fast asleep.

"You were saying?" Ludwig said. Iggy put his head in his hands.

"Uh, fine," he said.

Ludwig smiled underneath the mask and started to lead Iggy out of the throne room. Once they were out the door, it was easy to see the frustration building up on Iggy's face.

"Okay, what is so important that you had to interrupt my seminar?" he asked.

Ludwig turned and let out a long held breath.

"Alright, I'm going to take off the mask," he said. "Promise me you won't freak out."

"Oh brother," said Iggy as he rolled his eyes. "Did you get a zit or something? Because I keep telling people that it is all a normal part of being an…"

Ludwig took off the caused Iggy to let out a scream.

"Where's your face?"

Iggy took hold of Ludwig's cloak and pulled it back. His eyes grew wider.

"Where's the rest of you?"

Iggy gasped.

"Ludwig, you're transparent!"

"Thanks, genius," said Ludwig sarcastically. "You think I didn't notice?"

Iggy speech became stuttery and quiet.

"This...this...I don't even know what this is. On some level, it is terrifying as all get out. But on the other…" Iggy smiled. "This is also kind of intriguing. I wonder what effects this has on your atomic structure?"

Ludwig saw that a koopa troopa servant was coming up behind them. They hadn't noticed the two of them yet, but Ludwig knew they would panic once they saw Ludwig's cloak.

"Uh, Iggy?" Ludwig said as he turned his brother around. Iggy looked horrified once he saw the koopa troopa.

"Shoot!" he said. "Quick, give me your cloak!"

Before Ludwig could object, Iggy took Ludwig's cloak off and put it on. He leaned against the wall and started whistling as the servant walked passed.

"Morning, Master Iggy," said the servant.

"Morning Shellby," Iggy responded nervously. Shellby turned around, a suspicious look on her face.

"Um, I don't mean to pry," she said, "but why are you wearing Master Ludwig's cloak?"

"Oh, that?" Iggy said. He chuckled. "Well you see, I am trying to embrace my inner Ludwig! Bowser has selected me to compose a symphony later on, so I need to get into character."

Shellby raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you just ask Ludwig for help?"

Iggy laughed.

"And get my butt handed to me? Come on, you know how touchy he is."

"Why you little…"

Iggy froze at the sound of Ludwig speaking up. Shellby looked frightened.

"Uh, what was that?" she asked.

Iggy hesitated before he spoke.

"Oh, uh, that was just my...Ludwig impression!" Iggy then made a hand puppet. "You see, I have been practicing to be a ventriloquist, so I need my impressions to be spot on. Here, check this out."

Iggy started making his hand open and close like a mouth, and as he did Ludwig spoke up.

"I'm Ludwig. I don't agree with a thing that Iggy is saying which means he is probably going to get a roasted tail after this."

Iggy turned to Ludwig and scowled. Shellby looked impressed.

"Wow," she said. "That was pretty spot on!"

"Haha, yeah!" said Iggy. Then he turned back to Ludwig and said: "Give me a break; I'm under a lot of pressure!"

"How do you think I feel?" Ludwig asked. "And by the way, I am not touchy!"

The frightened look on Shellby's face returned. She looked at Iggy like he had just lost his mind.

"Okay, time to back away slowly," she said. With that, she broke out into a run. Once she was far away, Ludwig slapped Iggy across the face.

"Oww!" said Iggy.

"That's for insulting me," said Ludwig. Iggy looked angry as he rubbed his cheek.

"Well I'm sorry, but it's true," he said.

"No it's…" realizing that this argument could go back and forth for a while, Ludwig put his hand on his forehead and sighed. "You know what? It doesn't matter." He put his hands on Iggy's shoulders. "Iggy, you've got to get me back to normal!"

Iggy stepped away from his brother.

"Okay," he said. "Just give me time to think of a solution."

Iggy turned his back to Ludwig. A second later, he turned back around.

"I've got it!" he exclaimed.

Ludwig scoffed.

"Took you long enough," he said sarcastically.

Iggy scowled again. Then, he motioned for Ludwig to follow him to his lab.


	4. Scientific Explanation

Chapter 4 Scientific Explanation

Ludwig watched Iggy with slight interest as he dabbled with a plethora of various chemicals. Beakers filled with blue, brown, yellow, and red liquids sat on the scientist's workbench. Ludwig had a feeling that they were waiting with eager anticipation for the right moment, the moment when Iggy would put them to use in his concoction. If that was the case, they were certainly containing themselves better than Ludwig was.

"Can you please hurry up?" Ludwig said as he tapped his foot.

"Don't rush me; I need to get this just right," Iggy replied without looking up from his work.

Ludwig groaned. To him, it felt like Iggy was moving at a snail's pace. Then again, that might just be because he was never a patient person.

"Alright," said Iggy. "I've mixed up the hydrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and zinc with the materials made to make the invisibility caps that Mario wears. Now, if I add just a touch of galaxium_which, by the way, is an element that I discovered…"

"Yeah I know; I was there, remember?" said Ludwig. Iggy chuckled.

"Right," he said. He turned back toward the workbench. "Anyway, if I were to add just a smidgen of galaxium, that should initiate a chemical reaction that will allow the elements to…"

Iggy dropped a purple liquid into the mix. This caused the mixture to turn a beautiful lavender. Iggy grinned.

"I did it! Woo-hoo!" he shouted.

"Alright," said Ludwig as he sat down in a chair. "So just to clarify, this stuff will make me visible again?"

Iggy nodded.

"That is factual," he said. "Now, may you take a seat please?"

"Already there," Ludwig replied.

"Good," said Iggy as he started to put the liquid into a syringe. "Now, I am going to give this to you in injection form, alright?"

Ludwig felt fear bounce into his stomach. He was one of those people who had a deathly fear of needles.

"Do we have to?"

Iggy looked cross.

"Yes, we do. "This is the most effective way to get the solution into your bloodstream."

Ludwig whimpered.

"I'm not so sure about this," he said. Iggy rolled his eyes.

"Come on Ludwig, don't be a baby," he said. "Look, do you want to be visible again or not?"

Ludwig took a deep breath.

"Alright," he said. "Just...make it quick, okay?"

Iggy smiled and handed Ludwig a sticker, which Ludwig put on his arm. Iggy took the syringe and injected the solution into Ludwig's arm, in a spot that was slightly below the sticker. Ludwig had to take all of his self control to keep from screaming, and even then he wasn't very successful. He let out a shriek that was so girly that Ludwig would never admit that he was the source. After a few seconds, Ludwig glanced up at his brother.

"Can you see me?"

Iggy grinned.

"As clear as day," he said.

Ludwig looked down at his hands and laughed with relief.

"You did it!" he said. "Oh, thank you so much Iggy."

"Don't mention it," Iggy said. Then he frowned. "What I still don't understand though, is how you were able to turn invisible in the first place."

Ludwig was about to speak up when all of a sudden, the bottles and beakers that were on the table began to explode. One by one the glasses shattered like fireworks, sending their rainbow colored contents spraying all over the floor. Iggy looked at Ludwig, completely baffled.

"How did you do that? Usually, your powers flare up when you are angry, but...you weren't angry this time."

Ludwig began to feel fear and dread taking.

"I don't know," he said. "But..uh, this isn't the first time today that something like this has happened."

Iggy listened with wide eyes as Ludwig recalled how he had stopped time earlier. When Ludwig had finished, Iggy's eyes were as big as planets.

"Woah," he said. "That's…"

"I know," said Ludwig. Iggy began to think.

"Well, there has to be some sort of explanation for it," he said. "I am not entirely disagreeing with what you recall Lemmy saying; it is possible that you have just unlocked a new power. But if that is the case, why today? And why did you unlock two new powers today? Wouldn't you unlock them gradually…?"

Iggy's thoughts were interrupted when he saw that Ludwig had his eyes closed and his head in his hands. Iggy snapped his fingers.

"Hey!" he said. "I'm trying to help you; can you please try to stay...awake?"

Iggy's voice trailed off as he said the last word. He stared off into space for a second. Then, he gasped, as if something just clicked.

"That's it!" he cried.

"What's it?" Ludwig asked, struggling to keep his heavy eyelids from closing.

Iggy got up and went up into the next room. He came back with a machine.

"If you don't mind," he said, "I need to check your vitals."

Ludwig nodded. As Iggy operated the machine, Ludwig began to wonder what he was up to. RIght before he could voice his questions though, Iggy's machine beeped and the Koopaling stared at his screen.

"It's just as I suspected," he said. "Your blood pressure is higher than normal."

"So?" asked Ludwig. At this point, his brain was starting to shut down.

Iggy turned to him.

"So, your powers are caused by a excessive quantity of galaxium in your bloodstream," he said. "My hypothesis that your high blood pressure has an effect on the galaxium's functions. And as you know, high blood pressure is a side effect of…"

"Sleep deprivation!" Ludwig said. Suddenly, it all began to make sense to him. "So all of this is because I'm tired?"

Iggy laughed.

"Oh, at this point, you're worse than tired," he said. "You're existing on fumes! You're exhausted!"

Ludwig nodded. He couldn't really argue with that.

"So, here is a remedy that I suggest," Iggy said. "You need to go get some sleep. A nap at this point would disrupt your internal clock's natural pattern, but it is better than nothing." Iggy adjusted his glasses and smiled. "You think you can do that?"

Ludwig hesitated. He needed sleep, badly. Not only that, but he wanted it like a little kid wants candy. However, Ludwig didn't know if he could do it. All of his nights had been haunted by nightmares.

"Ludwig?"

The sound of Iggy's voice did very little to bring Ludwig out of his thoughts. Iggy felt concern starting to take over as he looked Ludwig in the eyes.

"Look," he said, "I understand that the last few nights have been hard for you. But you know I'm right. Please, at least attempt to get some sleep. Otherwise, you're going to make me paranoid."

Ludwig would have laughed if he weren't so exhausted. Paranoia was practically Iggy's middle name. Nevertheless, Ludwig eventually nodded.

"Alright," he said. "I'll try."


	5. Mandala

Chapter 5 Mandala

Ludwig yawned as he walked down the hallway toward his bedroom. He was too exhausted to levitate and besides, he was worried that something would go wrong if he tried to use his powers. It wasn't until Ludwig caught the smell of something burning that concern started to enter his mind. He turned around, and nearly reeled over. The hallway was a complete mess. The carpet was singed in the areas where Ludwig had stepped on it. A plant, as well as the curtains, had been consumed by blue flames, and the paintings that normally adorned the walls were levitating and dancing around in the air.

Ludwig shook his head. As if he needed another painful reminder that he needed a nap.

After what seemed like a millenium, Ludwig finally got to his bedroom. He opened the door and noticed Lemmy on his bed, working on a coloring book. When he noticed Ludwig, he smiled.

"Hey Ludwig," he said. "Are you alright?"

Ludwig rubbed his eyes. His first instinct would be to say something sarcastic and biting to his immediate younger brother. However, he realized that was both unnecessary and unwise.

"I need to get some sleep," he finally said. "'The doctor' recommends it."

Lemmy giggled.

"You talking about Iggy?" he asked.

Ludwig nodded and flopped down on his bed. Never before had the fluffy mattress and the soothing comforter seemed so welcoming. Ludwig closed his eyes and prepared himself for the comforting arms of sleep to wrap themselves around him.

Unfortunately, sleep didn't welcome him so much as slap him in the face.

…

_Ludwig looked at the young koopa girl that he had seen in his dream the night before. She looked at him with the saddest expression that Ludwig had ever seen. Unlike the previous night, Ludwig found the strength to speak._

"_Aria," he said. _

_Aria's expression only got sadder as she opened her mouth to speak._

"_Why did you do it?"_

_Ludwig looked down at the ground as tears started to soak his face._

"_I...didn't mean to," he said. "You know I didn't mean to."_

_Aria walked up to Ludwig. Her face was now so close to his that he could feel her breath on his snout._

"_And how exactly can a dead girl know that?"_

…

Ludwig woke up with a start. He sat up and saw that Lemmy was still sitting on his bed. He was smiling a goofy smile and he was intensely focused on whatever he was coloring.

"Lemmy?" Ludwig asked.

Lemmy looked up at Ludwig, his smile browing brighter.

"Yes?" he asked

It was at this point that Ludwig realized he had absolutely no idea what he wanted to say. He didn't know if he should tell Lemmy about the nightmares. It wasn't as if Lemmy wouldn't be kind and helpful. It was just that Ludwig didn't want him to worry.

"What are you coloring?" Ludwig finally asked.

"Oh, Wendy let me borrow a book of mandalas," Lemmy said. "They are really soothing."

"Soothing?" Ludwig asked with interest.

"Yeah," Lemmy replied. "I think you might enjoy them."

Lemmy tore out a page from the book. He held both that and his colored pencils out for Ludwig to take. Ludwig hesitated for just a minute before he brought them to him telekinetically. He held the mandala in his hands, took an orange pencil, and started to color. He had to admit, it was soothing.

"Do you like it?" Lemmy asked.

Ludwig looked up at Lemmy and smiled.

"Yeah, I do," he said. "I think I can make a hobby out of this."

Suddenly, the paper burst into flames. Ludwig shrieked and threw the paper down on the floor, where it still continued to burn. Ludwig got up and stamped the flame out. It wasn't until that happened that he noticed that Lemmy looked curious, terrified, and concerned, all at the same time.

"How...how did that happen?" he asked.

Ludwig sighed. He realized that he probably should tell Lemmy. After all, Lemmy understood Ludwig and his powers better than anyone.

"Lemmy," Ludwig said. He put his hand on the jasper that served as the button for his cloak. "Do you remember how I told I got my jasper."

"Well," said Lemmy, "you said that you did something bad, but you didn't say what it was."

Ludwig took a deep breath. As he let it out, he rose a few inches into the air.

"Well, the thing is…"

Before Ludwig could say anymore, a koopa troopa servant came into their room.

"Master Ludwig, Master Lemmy?" he said.

"Hey Shelldon," said Lemmy. "What's the matter?"

"Well, do you remember a few weeks ago, when this gang started graffitiing the castle walls?"

Lemmy and Ludwig exchanged a look.

"Yes," they said in unison.

"Well, they are back," Shelldon said. "And they are angry."


	6. The Gang's Back

Chapter 6 The Gang's Back

"So, who exactly are these people?" asked Iggy.

The gang was hanging around the castle walls. They looked like they were aggravated at the world. Larry chuckled.

"Well," he said, "do you remember that time that you had to go looking for the duplighost?"

Iggy did remember that. A few weeks prior, Lemmy and Ludwig had swapped bodies. This was thanks to a mixture of Ludwig's powers and a duplighost's spell. In order to switch them back, Iggy had gone in search for the duplighost.

"Oh," Iggy said. "Did you guys encounter them while I was away?"

"We sure did!" came Lemmy's voice.

The Koopalings turned around. They saw Lemmy balancing on top of a circus ball. Ludwig was next to him, which made Iggy look shocked.

"Ludwig, what are you doing here?" Iggy asked. "Didn't I tell you that you needed to get some sleep?"

Ludwig sighed.

"Yeah, you did," he said. "But I couldn't miss this. I've been wanting to give these guys a beating for a while."

Morton stared at Ludwig.

"So you completely disregarded what Iggy said?" he asked.

"What about when you stopped time?" asked Larry. "Don't you think that'll be a problem?"

"Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact," Ludwig said. "In fact, I think that with the new powers that I've been gaining, it'll be much easier to take these guys out."

"But you can't control them!" Iggy exclaimed. "How do you know you won't severely hurt someone? How do you know that you won't severely hurt…?"

Iggy was about to say "yourself," but he noticed that Ludwig had put his hands to the side of his head. He looked like he was in pain.

"Ludwig, are you okay?" Wendy asked.

"My head hurts!" Ludwig screamed. Suddenly, Ludwig disappeared into thin air. The others gasped.

"Where did he go?" Roy screamed.

As soon as Roy said that, Ludwig reappeared. The others gawked at him as he rubbed the side of his head.

"Oh, that was weird," Ludwig said. He saw that his siblings were gawking at him, and he looked confused.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"You...you disappeared," said Wendy.

Ludwig felt shocked.

"I did?"

Larry nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "And also…"

Larry pointed at Ludwig. Ludwig looked down and saw that he was wearing a dress. He shrieked.

"What's going on?" He then felt the top of his head and realized that his hair had been stacked into a beehive style. He gasped.

"What the World Eight…!"

Just as he said it, Ludwig disappeared again. He returned two minutes later. Once he returned, he felt the top of his head, allowing him to notice that his hair was back to normal. He realized that he was wearing his blue cloak again, not a dress. He sighed in relief.

"Thank ze stars!" he said with a german accent. The Koopalings burst into laughter as Ludwig put his hands on his mouth.

"What eez zhis?" Ludwig screamed. Larry dried a tear from his eyes.

"Dude," he said. "You know, I think you sound better this way."

"Shut up!" Ludwig said. "Let me see if I can fix zhis…"

Ludwig snapped his fingers, which luckily was all he needed to do to trigger the disappearing. This time, he returned as an astronaut. Ludwig tried again and again and again. He returned as all sorts of things; a whale shark, a sprixie, a purple cat. At one point, he even returned as a piece of toast. Thankfully though, Ludwig eventually returned as his normal self. When he did, he looked a little nervous and opened his mouth to speak.

"Testing, testing, one two three," Ludwig said, and smiled in relief at this sound of his normal voice. That was when Wendy pointed behind him.

"Uh, Ludwig, it looks like you brought a friend with you," she said.

Ludwig glanced back and saw that there was a llama right behind him. He sighed.

"You know what? I'll take that over the german accent," he said. He then cleared his throat. "Alright, are we going to go fight or what?"

Iggy stared at Ludwig. Then he sighed.

"I believe that is our obligation at this point," he said. "But Ludwig, if something like that happens again…"

"Iggy, I'll be…" Before Ludwig could finish the sentence, the llama spit in his hair. Ludwig looked back at the llama with a glare then put his hood up. "I'll be fine."

Iggy hesitated before he nodded.

"If you say so," he said. Then the Koopalings went up to the gang. The koopa paratroopa, goomba, and sledge brother glared at them scornfully.

"Hello," Iggy said. "I am Iggy Koopa. I believe that you are already familiar with my siblings."

This statement got a growl from the goomba.

"You washed off our graffiti painting," he said.

"Excuse me?" asked Iggy.

The sledge brother stepped forward.

"The last time we were here, we sprayed a painting on the castle wall," he said. "That painting is now gone."

Roy gawked.

"Seriously? _That _is what you guys are mad about?"

Iggy silenced Roy and turned back to the gang.

"I apologize, but I am afraid we can't leave a spray painting on an important landmark such as Castle Koopa," he said. He put on a smile. "Maybe, if you guys like, we can get you guys a privately owned wall to graffiti on. That way, you won't have to resort to criminal activity."

The paratroopa laughed.

"We do things are way," he said. "We always have and we always will. We don't listen to losers like you lot."

Ludwig then stepped forward. His hands were engulfed in flame. Despite the fact that he was tired, his anger was strong enough to wash away the signs of fatigue on his face.

"We are not losers," he growled.

The gang looked at Ludwig's hands in concern. Then they burst into laughter.

"Oh, I remember you," said the goomba. "You're that special that you guys like to brag about."

"I'm glad to see your voice finally changed," the paratroopa said with a giggle.

Ludwig gave a small grin.

"Oh, more than my voice has changed," he said. With that he hurled a fireball at the paratroopa. The paratroopa crashed into the wall, and the goomba and sledge brother charged at Ludwig. Ludwig took a deep breath…

...and shot up into space.

Ludwig looked around. He looked at the Mushroom World below him. It looked beautiful, with its green continents and turquoise oceans. However, Ludwig realized that he couldn't stay up here. With that, he flew back down to earth with super sonic speed. Right before he hit the ground, he stopped and stared at the gang. He chuckled, electric bolts starting to decorate his arms. He could hear thunder in the distance.

Ludwig flew toward the gang and hurled lightning bolts at them. Never before had it been so easy to use his powers. Never before had he felt so alive. He lifted the ground that the gang stood upon, and he could see that the people were trembling. Ludwig flew up to them sinisterly.

"Say good night," he said. When he did it though, he stopped what he was doing instantaneously. His voice didn't sound like his. It sounded...evil.

Ludwig looked down at his siblings, who were calling out for him to stop. He looked at the gang, who were shaking like they had been diagnosed with severe hypothermia.

"Please don't hurt us," the goomba whispered as he shook.

Ludwig felt a pang of guilt. He then set the ground back into place. Once the gang members were safe, they ran for their lives. Ludwig flew back down to his siblings. Roy smiled.

"Dude, that was awesome!" he said.

This statement caused Ludwig's guilt to increase. He didn't realize how easy it was to fall into...darkness.

"I...I need some sleep," Ludwig said.

With that, he flew off, leaving most of his siblings confused.


	7. Catastrophic

Chapter 7 Catastrophic

Ludwig paced back and forth in his room. What had just gone down? He was just about to kill someone! Despite how much he had wanted to fight the gang, he never intended to kill them. His intention was never to kill anyone. That has been his intention since…

Since the Frostwall incident.

Ludwig shook his head. He couldn't think about Frostwall, not now. Despite the fact that it always haunted his sleep, he knew that dwelling on it was never a good idea.

"Ludwig?"

Ludwig stopped pacing.

"What is it, Iggy?"

"Do you mind coming out? There is something that I wish to discuss with you."

Ludwig went to the door and opened it. Iggy looked at him with fear and concern in his eyes.

"What's up?" Ludwig asked.

"You need to go to Kamek. Immediately."

Ludwig felt shock graze his brain. Then he looked away from Iggy.

"I…"

"You know as well as I do that what just happened was not jut a normal surge," Iggy stated. "You weren't yourself. It was almost as if…"

"As if something else took control," Ludwig finished the thought. "I know."

"Then you also know that these surges aren't just dangerous; they are catastrophic," Iggy continued. "I don't know if I can help you, but I know for a fact that Kamek can. So come on, we're going to go see him."

Iggy took a hold of Ludwig's hand and tried to lead him down the hallway; however, Ludwig wouldn't move. Iggy looked back at him in frustration.

"Didn't you internalize what I had just spoken?"

Ludwig pulled his hand away.

"I am not going to see Kamek," he said.

Iggy looked shocked. Then his shock melted away into anger.

"Why not?"

Ludwig hesitated for just a minute before responding.

"I can handle this on my own," he said.

Now Iggy looked downright infuriated. He started sputtering.

"You can...you can…"

Ludwig sighed and closed the door telekinetically. He could hear Iggy's screams resonating from the other side.

"You so cannot handle this on your own! I don't believe that any koopa can! Even if they are a special!"

Ludwig groaned as he laid down in bed. He put the pillow over his head.

"Can you be quiet?!" he shouted back to Iggy. "I'm trying to sleep!"

There was a moment of silence. Ludwig could imagine Iggy practically bursting at the seams with anger on the other side of the door. Then, Ludwig could detect the sound of footsteps. They were growing more and more dim, indicating that Iggy was walking away.

Ludwig let out a breath and got to thinking. He did agree with Iggy; the surges were proving themselves to be catastrophic. Did that mean that Ludwig couldn't handle them? Ludwig always considered himself a very capable and competent koopa, but even he had to admit that this was getting out of control.

_No,_ Ludwig thought, _this isn't catastrophic. You're just getting yourself worked up, just like Iggy does. You don't need to see Kamek._

This thought brought some comfort to the special. Even as he thought it though, there was this little voice in the back of his mind telling him that Iggy was right. On some level, Ludwig realized, he was letting his stubbornness control him.

And yes, maybe he was letting fear take over as well.

Ludwig shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He shouldn't be worrying. Worry never helped anyone. He realized he couldn't stop the surges by worrying them away. He needed to take some action; he needed to get some sleep.

So, Ludwig laid his head down and tried to get some rest.

…

_This time, there was a crowd chasing after Ludwig. Ludwig glanced behind him and saw that Aria was in the crowd, angry and screaming as she ran. Ludwig felt fear grab hold of his stomach as he saw her leading the chase. _

_Ludwig took a deep breath, trying to get into the air. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it. His powers had been rendered useless._

_Ludwig glanced at his surroundings. The sky was a dark blue. This was thanks to the smog like clouds that blocked out the sun. Ludwig could see buildings around him, burning to the ground. He noticed that the fire wasn't red like it should be. It was blue, the same color as Ludwig's flames. A chilling feeling creeped up Ludwig's spine as he realized that they were his flames._

_Ludwig picked up the pace; however, he realized that he wasn't going any faster. As a matter of fact, he was slowing down. He looked at his feet and saw that he was sinking. The solid ground had turned into quicksand. It was as if it too was angry at the special._

_Ludwig looked behind and saw the crowd closing in on him. They were carrying pitchforks, as if Ludwig was some kind of monster. On some level, Ludwig realized, he was._

"_Please, don't," Ludwig said meekly as he helped up his hands._

…

Ludwig woke up and screamed. If this wasn't the worst nightmare yet, he didn't know what was. Surprisingly, this scream was enough to wake up Lemmy. He ran over to Ludwig's bed.

"Ludwig," he said. "Is everything okay?"

Ludwig was hyperventilating, trying to calm down but was unable to.

"What time is it?" Ludwig asked as he turned to Lemmy.

"It's around midnight," Lemmy responded. "Why did you scream?"

Ludwig was about to open his mouth when his head began to hurt. The pain was so intense that Ludwig felt like his brain was on fire. He put his hands to his head to see if that would stop the pain, but his attempt was in vain. He screamed.

"Ludwig, what's going on?" Lemmy asked.

Ludwig couldn't respond; the pain was too intense. Thankfully, Lemmy didn't need a response.

"Don't worry Ludwig, I'll go get help," he said. With that he ran from the room. Ludwig kept his hands on his head. He closed his eyes because they too were searing with pain. When he opened them, he saw that his bedroom was ablaze.


	8. Uncontrollable

Chapter 8 Uncontrollable

Ludwig ran from his room, coughing and hacking. Even in the hallway, the smell of smoke was overpowering. As Ludwig stood there, with his aching head and his room on fire, he couldn't help but feel fear starting to take over, more fear than he had ever felt in a long time.

"Ludwig!"

Ludwig looked and saw Lemmy coming down the hallway with Morton and Iggy. If it was possible for his fear to escalate in that moment, it did. Ludwig held his hands in front of him.

"Stay back!" he said. Morton stepped forward.

"Ludwig," he said with a soft, gentle inflection. "It's going to be okay."

"Yeah," said Lemmy. "We're here now."

Ludwig suddenly felt another sharp pain in his head. As he put his hands to his head, he felt the electricity growing around him. Ludwig looked and saw that there were electric bolts flittering in the air, creating a sort of force field.

"You don't understand!" Ludwig cried. "I almost killed someone today! What makes you think that I won't accidentally kill you?!"

Iggy stepped forward. Ludwig would have expected him to be wearing an angry expression; instead, he was wearing a concerned one.

"You are not going to kill us," he said. "We are going to personally see to that."

"Besides," Lemmy said, "you never killed anyone before. Right?"

The guilt caused by that statement was more than just painful; it was crippling. With tears starting to form, Ludwig turned and started flying away from his brothers. Iggy, Lemmy, and Morton ran after him, worrying for not only his well being, but for the well being of others.

"Ludwig!" Iggy called out as he ran.

Ludwig didn't stop. Not at the sound of Iggy's voice, not at the shock he got when saw the windows shattering around him, not even at the sight of the flames that were consuming the hallway. No, he didn't stop for any of that. He kept flying because he had to. He had to get away.

Ludwig opened a window at the end of the hallway telekinetically, allowing him to fly through it. Ludwig reasoned that being in the open air, he would be keeping others more safe. Unfortunately, he realized very quickly that he was wrong. As he flew, he could see fireballs raining down from the sky. Normally, this wouldn't have fazed Ludwig, as fireballs from the nearby volcanoes rained down and scorched the landscape all the time. This time, however, the fireballs were blue, making it clear that the special was the cause of them.

Ludwig decided to pick up the pace. He knew that since he was the cause of the raining fire, he wouldn't be burned by it. Unfortunately, while that reasoning had proven to be true, the fireballs were coming down at breakneck speed. This meant that, when Ludwig was hit in the back by one, the force was great enough to push him to the ground. He screamed as he fell, and when he landed he created a mini crater.

Ludwig groaned as the dust from the ground cleared. He looked up and saw that people had gathered around.

"It's Ludwig von Koopa!" he heard somebody whisper.

"But why is he here?" somebody whispered back.

Ludwig flew out of the crater and hovered over it to see how many people had gathered around. He was struck in the heart by fear when he saw that at least thirty people in the crowd.

"Master Ludwig," said a dragon koopa. "Is something wrong?"

"I…"

As soon as this one word escaped Ludwigs lips, an electric bolt traveled from Ludwig's forehead to the koopa's chest. It happened so quickly that neither one of them even saw the bolt. When it happened, however, the koopa was rendered unconscious, and everyone in the crowd gasped.

"What just happened?" asked a goomba.

Ludwig was about to answer when he saw a building catch on fire. The sight of people running from it...running from a disaster that he caused...was enough to bring him to tears.

"Everyone stay away from me!" Ludwig cried. He then started flying away again. He didn't get very far though, as someone threw a rock at his back.

"He destroyed the hospital!" screamed a koopa troopa.

"He doesn't deserve his powers if this is what he chooses to do with them!"

"He's evil!"

That last sentence echoed in Ludwig's mind. He's evil.

"I'm evil," Ludwig whispered to himself in shame.

Maybe this was true. Maybe he was evil. If that was the case, then the people were right; he didn't deserve his powers. In fact, he had proven that he didn't deserve his powers on that one fateful day. The day that Frostwall fell.

With this thought in his mind, Ludwig flew away from the crowd. Even with his back to them, it wa shard to ignore the objects they were pelting at him, the screams that sounded like a raging ocean.

Ludwig flew until he couldn't fly anymore. When he was sure that he was far away from the crowd, he dropped to the floor and started sobbing. This couldn't be happening. This was the worst day of his adult life, and the second worst day of his life in general. The first being, of course, the day of the Frostwall incident.

He couldn't go back after what he had done. He couldn't face Bowser, his siblings, Kamek…

"Ludwig."

Ludwig stopped sobbing and looked around at the sound of Kamek's voice. When he didn't see anyone, he thought that he had just been imagining it. But then, right when he started worrying that he was having auditory hallucinations, he looked behind and saw that Kamek was right behind him.

"Are you alright?" Kamek asked with concern.

Ludwig couldn't answer. He turned away from the magikoopa and put his head in his knees. He felt Kamek put his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Kamek said gently. "It's going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright."

Ludwig felt slightly taken aback by Kamek's calm, soothing tone. It was so unlike him.

"How do you know?" Ludwig asked.

Kamek smiled.

"I just do," he said. With that, he waved his wand over Ludwig's head, and the special fell asleep.


	9. Sentient

Chapter 9 Sentient

The process of waking up for Ludwig was a slow one. His brain was what turned back on first. His body, however, wasn't cooperating with him. He tried to open his eyes, to move his arms, but they wouldn't respond. Thankfully, Ludwig knew exactly the reason why; he was experiencing sleep paralysis. If this had been his first time experiencing it, he would have panicked, but Ludwig had learned over the years to just let his body wake up on it's own.

When he was finally able to move, he opened his eyes and sat up. This allowed him to see that he was back in his room. Ludwig would have expected the place to be black and burnt, but by some miracle it still looked the same as it normally did. Ludwig turned to his side and saw Kamek, standing by his bed.

"It's about time," Kamek said.

Ludwig rubbed his eyes, trying to remove the sleep from them.

"How long was I out?"

"About three days," Kamek responded. "And I don't think that was entirely due to the spell; I think your body was trying to make up for the lack of sleep on its own."

Ludwig nodded. He then realized that he didn't have a single nightmare, not one.

"Your nightmares should be entirely gone now," said Kamek, as if reading the special's mind. "I made sure of that after I put the spell on you."

Ludwig nodded again. Then, he did something that he hadn't done in a long time: he looked Kamek straight in the face.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Kamek sighed and took off his glasses, allowing Ludwig to see the fingerprints of worry.

"Alright, listen to me, and listen to me good," he said. "While you were asleep, I've gone back to the books about the specials. I came across a legend about one that...scared me. I wanted to pass it off as untrue, but based on what your siblings told me, I realized that it wasn't just mere legend. It was straight up fact."

"I'm listening," Ludwig said as he leaned forward.

Kamek nodded and put his glasses back on.

"Long ago, there was a very powerful special. His true name has faded with time, so the books have referred to him as Obsidian. Obsidian had control over the forces of darkness. Despite this, he remained a meek, friendly, and well meaning individual. He used his dark powers for the good of his kingdom, for the good of the koopa race. But one day, he disappeared. People searched far and wide for him. When he was finally found, he...he wasn't the same. The friendly demeanor was completely gone, and in its place was a mind of evil."

"What happened?" Ludwig asked.

"Many have speculated on that," Kamek said. "Some said he was cursed. Others said that he had come across some sort of cult in the wilderness. But I believe that it was something much simpler than that." Kamek looked at Ludwig with the most serious expression that anyone had ever seen. "I believe it was his powers. They wanted to take him over, and when the opportunity arose, they jumped at the chance."

There was a moment of silence as Ludwig contemplated what this meant.

"What are you saying?" he asked with nervousness.

"I'm saying," Kamek said, "that the powers that you have...as well as the powers that any special has had or ever will have...are sentient."

Ludwig felt a lump form in his throat.

"That sounds preposterous," he said.

Kamek tilted his head slightly to the right.

"Does it though?" Kamek said. "Think about it Ludwig, when you were fighting the gang, didn't it seem like something else was in control?"

Ludwig felt fear strike his heart. Kamek was right, he was absolutely right. His eyes grew wide.

"No," he whispered.

"Yes," said Kamek. "Not only are your powers alive, but they have a mind of their own. They are selfish. They want to be the ones in control, and they also want to be fully expressed. That is why, when you were at your weakest, your powers were going haywire. That is why you could stop time, turn invisible; that is why all of that could happen."

Ludwig didn't know what to say. His powers had always been a part of him, and they always will be a part of him. Ludwig thought he knew all there is to know about them, but this experience had clearly proven otherwise.

"Kamek," he said, "take my powers away."

Kamek looked surprised.

"Take them away?"

"Yes," said Ludwig, his voice starting to rise with fright, "I don't want them anymore! If what you are saying is true, then that means my powers could take control of me and I'd be lost forever!"

Kamek put his hand on Ludwig's shoulder.

"Stop it," he said, "you're creating a problem where there isn't one. Your powers aren't going to take control of you. All you need to do is stay on top of your sleep schedule, and you'll be fine."

Ludwig batted Kamek's hand away.

"But what if I don't," he said. "What if something happens? What if I lose control? After all, me losing control is why Frostwall…"

Ludwig couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence. Tears started forming in his eyes.

"Oh," said Kamek as the realization hit him. "That is what you've been having nightmares about: Frostwall."

Ludwig nodded and Kamek let out a weary sigh.

"Look," he said. "You can't let your past and the fear it brings control you. You have powers, that is a fact. Are they evil? Possibly. But that doesn't mean that you should cower in the corner like a newborn. You were given your powers for a reason. What that reason is, I am still not sure. But I do know that there is a reason for everything that happens in the world. You are stronger than you think Ludwig."

Kamek then left the room, leaving Ludwig to chew on what he just said. He didn't feel strong; he felt like a coward. And in hi mind, he had a reason to be. His powers had almost taken control of him, and almost destroyed the castle.

Ludwig shook his head. No. Kamek was right. He couldn't let fear control him. That was just as bad as letting his temper control him, as letting his powers control him. He was eighteen, an adult. It was time to start acting like one.

So, with a deep exhale, Ludwig rose into the air. He then flew out of the room, where his siblings were waiting on the other side.

"Ludwig are you alright?" Wendy asked.

Ludwig smiled.

"Never better," he said. "Now, I haven't eaten in three days. What do you guys say about ordering a pizza?"

The other Koopalings smiled, and Lemmy even whooped with delight. With that, Ludwig went and got the phone. If he wanted things to go back to normal, he might as well start small.

**Author's Note: Well, it's finished. Thank you so much to all of you for reading, and special shoutouts to TheGhostlyRobot and TrimusicaDrag00n90 for favoriting, PinkRose0106 for following, and EAParakeet for favoriting and following. Please leave a review if you haven't already, and see you next time for "Super Koopalings Episode 6: Through Her Eyes."**


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